Amnesty advocates behind the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) are billing an event this week with six Senate and House Republicans as part of a broader effort to engage with elected Democrats and the pro-amnesty community, from corporate donors to the open borders lobby, on “building bipartisanship on immigration reform.”
On Thursday, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), and John Cornyn (R-TX) and Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Will Hurd (R-TX) are to participate in an ABIC event alongside Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Chris Coons (D-DE). The group’s website said the event is about “building bipartisanship on immigration reform” arguing that effort “is more important than ever.” It encourages attendees to hear “from elected leaders on the path forward in 2021.”
While the website frames it as such, at least one of the GOP offices participating–Rubio’s–has subsequently said his involvement is solely focused on renewing a coronavirus pandemic relief program for small businesses nationwide and has nothing to do with any broader immigration discussions. It is unclear as of now where the other Republicans stand on this matter.
The event is being hosted by the pro-amnesty, pro-mass immigration American Business Immigration Coalition which is made up of a series of business donors such as the United States Chamber of Commerce and the open borders lobby like the George Soros-funded United We Dream organization.
A full list of special interests participating in the event include:
Jon Baselice, US Chamber of Commerce Immigration Director, Al Cardenas, Shareholder – Squire Patton Boggs, Steve Choi, NYIC Senior Advisor, Alan Cramb, Illinois Institute of Technology President, Lester Crown, Henry Crown & Company Co-Chairman, Bob Dickinson, Carnival Cruise CEO Retired, Craig Duchossois, The Duchossois Group Chairman, Martin Eakes, Self Help Federal Credit Union CEO, Mike Fernandez, MBF Healthcare Partners Chairman, Don Graham, TheDream.us Chairman, Luis Gutierrez, former U.S. Representative, Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, Colorado Mountain College President and CEO, Marielena Hincapie, NILC Executive Director, Mellody Hobson, Ariel Investments President and Co-CEO, Josh Hoyt, Democracy Partners, Woody Hunt, Hunt Companies Senior Chairman, Mike Kaplan, Aspen Snowmass CEO, Giev Kashkooli, United Farm Workers Political Director, Bill Kunkler, CC Industries Executive VP, Bill Lucia, HMS CEO, Stan Marek, MAREK Brothers & Systems CEO, Greisa Martinez, United We Dream, Executive Director, Eva Millona, MIRA CEO, Marc Morial, The National Urban League President, Anna Morzy, Greenberg Traurig Shareholder, Ana Navarro, American Political Strategist, Penny Pritzker, former United States Secretary of Commerce, Raul Raymundo, TRP CEO, Maria Rodriguez, Florida Immigrant Coalition Executive Director, John Rowe, Exelon Chairman Emeritus, Zaher Sahloul, MedGlobal CEO, Angelica Salas, CHIRLA Executive Director, Sam Scott, Ingredion Incorporated CEO Retired, Carole Segal, Crate and Barrel Co-Founder, Gustavo Torres, CASA Executive Director, Chris Wallace, North Texan Commission President and CEO, Bob Worsley, SkyMall Founder and Arizona Republican State Senator Retired, Justin Yancey, Texas Business Leadership Council President.
A number of the Republican participants won reelection by close margins just a month ago. Specifically, Tillis won reelection in North Carolina by fewer than 96,000 votes. Likewise, Collins won reelection in Maine by fewer than 70,300 votes.
Currently, House Democrats are drafting an amnesty plan that will provide at least one subgroup of illegal aliens the ability to permanently remain in the U.S. and eventually apply for American citizenship. Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden has vowed to send an amnesty plan to the Senate in his first 100 days in office.
A handful of Republican lawmakers, including Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Cornyn, have suggested working with a Biden administration on an amnesty deal.
There are an estimated 11 to 22 million illegal aliens currently living in the U.S. This illegal population is in addition to the more than 1.2 million foreign nationals who are given green cards annually and the 1.4 million foreign nationals who are given temporary visas every year. Today, the foreign-born population of the U.S. has boomed to at least 44.5 million. By 2060, the Census Bureau projects the foreign-born population will tick up to an unprecedented 69 million should current legal immigration levels continue.
UPDATE 12/2/20 11:25 A.M. ET:
After the publication of this story, Rubio’s office expressed that it believed the framing of this event as one where broader discussions of a 2021 immigration deal were not accurate.
Rubio’s chief of staff Mike Needham tweeted that it was “fake news” and said that the senator is just prerecording a video on the need to renew the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) coronavirus relief for small businesses amid the pandemic:
A Rubio spokesman also told Breitbart News that the senator is not participating in any discussions about broader immigration legislation but simply pushed for PPP renewal which Democrats in Congress are currently blocking. “Rubio did not participate in any immigration discussions,” the Rubio spokesman said. “He delivered a video message on the need to restart the Paycheck Protection Program, which is currently being blocked by Democrat leaders in Congress.”
The story and headline above have been updated to reflect Rubio’s office’s position on this event, specifically that his office believes is not accurate to suggest he is part of broader immigration discussions at this time and that his involvement in this event is solely focused on PPP renewal despite the amnesty group’s framing of the GOP lawmakers’ “participation” as such.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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